Colorless Gas DME Molecular Formula C2H6O Fuel Grade 46.07 g/mol

Product Introduction

Dimethyl ethre is an organic compound. It is a colorless, odorous, flammable gas under standard conditions. Its chemical formula is C2H6O. It can form an explosive mixture when mixed with air. It is easy to burn and explode when exposed to heat, sparks, flames or oxidants. It can generate peroxides with potential explosion hazards when exposed to air or light conditions. Its density is greater than that of air. It can spread to a considerable distance at a lower level and will catch fire and backfire when it encounters a fire source. If it encounters high heat, the internal pressure of the container will increase, and there is a risk of cracking and explosion.

It is mainly used as a methylating agent to produce dimethyl sulfate. It can also be used to synthesize N,N-dimethylaniline, methyl acetate, acetic anhydride and ethylene; it can also be used as an alkylating agent, refrigerant, foaming agent, solvent, leaching agent, extractant,  fuel, civilian composite ethanol and a substitute for Freon aerosol. It is used in hair care, skin care, medicines and coatings as a variety of aerosol propellants. Fuel additives promoted abroad have many unique uses in the pharmaceutical, dye and pesticide industries.

Vehicle fuel

As a substitute for diesel fuel, dimethyl ethre is currently the main application area of industrial application. Generally, the thermal efficiency of diesel engines is 7%-9% higher than that of gasoline engines, but existing diesel engines are gradually being eliminated due to high pollution. Diesel engines using DME as fuel are gradually replacing the original diesel engines with advantages such as high efficiency and environmental protection.

The power of DME engines is higher than that of diesel engines, which can reduce noise, achieve smokeless combustion, meet environmental protection requirements, and are ideal diesel substitute fuels. After oxidative coupling of DME, fuel additives with a cetane number of 60-100 can be synthesized. The additive can be dissolved in diesel in any proportion at room temperature and can be made into fuel with a cetane number of 41-57.

Cars using dimethyl ethre can become dual-fuel cars that can burn both oil and gas by simply installing a set of gas supply conversion devices without changing the original car structure and performance. The gas supply system is easy to install, and its installation fee and the cost of building a gas station are lower than those of LPG and CNG fuel cars.

Civilian fuel

Due to the physical properties of dme being similar to those of liquefied gas, and the fact that it can be completely burned and has few pollutants, dimethyl ethre, as a new type of civilian clean fuel, has a huge market. It can be used as a civilian fuel in large and medium-sized cities where LPG and CNG resources are scarce. The purity of fuel-grade dimethyl ethre is generally 98%, with the remainder being methanol, C3-C4 hydrocarbons, and water, which can ensure that bottled dimethyl ethre is burned out at normal room temperature. Dimethyl dme has the following advantages as a civilian fuel.

(1) DME can be liquefied at room temperature, and the cylinder pressure meets the requirements of existing liquefied petroleum gas, so it can be stored in existing liquefied petroleum gas cylinders.

(2) DME, like LPG, is a gas fuel, easy to use, does not require preheating, and can be used whenever needed.

(3) The composition of DME is stable and has no residual liquid, which can ensure effective use by users.

(4) DME has better combustion characteristics than LPG and does not produce dangerous gases when burned.

(5) Fuel-grade (DME>98%) can be used for civilian purposes. Its performance will not be affected during transportation, storage and use. It is safe and reliable.

(6) The price of DME stoves of the same grade is the same as that of LPG stoves. If an old LPG stove needs to be modified, each stove only needs to cost a small amount of money.

Aerosol propellant

From the perspective of DME consumption, aerosol propellant is one of the main uses of DME. Since the 1960s, aerosol products have been popular with consumers for their unique packaging characteristics. In the past, aerosol products used a large amount of chlorofluorocarbons as propellants. Since chlorofluorocarbons were all released into the atmosphere during use, they caused serious damage to the atmospheric ozone layer, thus affecting human health, plant and animal growth and the earth's ecological environment. Therefore, countries around the world are committed to finding alternatives to chlorofluorocarbons. Since 1988, my country has banned the use of chlorofluorocarbons (except medical supplies) as propellants in aerosols. Alternatives to chlorofluorocarbons now include LPG, DME, compressed gas (CO2, N2, N2O), hydrochlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons and other substances. DME is gradually replacing other aerosols with its good performance in the aerosol industry and becoming the main body of the fourth generation of propellants. It can also be used as air fresheners, insecticides, foam fillers, ribbons, etc.

Environmentally friendly refrigerants and foaming agents

The easy liquefaction of dimethyl ethre has also attracted people's attention. Taking advantage of DME's low pollution and good refrigeration effect, many countries are developing DME to replace hydrofluorocarbons as refrigerants or foaming agents. Dimethyl ethre as a foaming agent can make the pore size of foam plastics and other products uniform, enhance flexibility and pressure resistance, and have good crack resistance. Foreign countries have successively developed DME as a foaming agent for polystyrene, polyurethane, thermoplastic polyester foam, etc.